RWO Grand Final Day Thread - Saturday 17th September

[Norris Lurker]

The RWO Wrap of Grand Final Day is now online.

Thank you to everyone who's read this column this season. And thank you to everyone who's played a role in making an eventful and enjoyable season happen.

[Jupiter]

The RWO Wrap of Grand Final Day is now online.

Thank you to everyone who's read this column this season. And thank you to everyone who's played a role in making an eventful and enjoyable season happen.

Boo re: the result. Terrible crowd behaviour all round. The competition is not reaching the heights it should unfortunately overall. Thanks Norris for your work all year and others for their insight and commentary, cheers.

[justabaraker]

Yes, great work again Norris. Thanks for keeping the news coming and for running our tipping comp.
Best wishes for your cheerleading activities next week and, maybe, even the week after. Then, enjoy your summer.

Best wishes to all on this forum - it's been fun, hasn't it ?

[Mug Punter]

Another Sydney AFL Grand Final, and another crowd incident.

It's all so predictable, and they all have one common ingredient - Alcohol. Maybe the SFL and the clubs need to have a serious look at themselves and the environment they want to create for Sydney football. My understanding is that the VAFA operate on a alcohol free zone inside the ground and I personally think the AFL in Sydney should consider making all Sydney AFL grounds alcohol free as well.

[unconfuseme]

Any mention anywhere of EC playing 3 1/2 minutes of the final quarter with 19 on the field? ... a few people mentioned it at the time.

[barracuda]

Another Sydney AFL Grand Final, and another crowd incident.

It's all so predictable, and they all have one common ingredient - Alcohol. Maybe the SFL and the clubs need to have a serious look at themselves and the environment they want to create for Sydney football. My understanding is that the VAFA operate on a alcohol free zone inside the ground and I personally think the AFL in Sydney should consider making all Sydney AFL grounds alcohol free as well.

I agree. This season has been very disappointing in respect to the amount of bad behaviour I have witnessed on the field and off the field in a number of grades. Constant umpiring abuse, player abuse, fighting, cheap shots etc. No point naming names or clubs etc. However most rational youth don't want to be a part of this culture, and choose to go do something else. The games should be alcohol free, but where would the clubs make their money.

In my view the leadership of the clubs have the power to dictate the sort of behaviour they will tolerate from spectators, players and officials. However often the leadership are the worst offenders. It is not up to the AFL to manage the clubs.

At the end of the day a footy club is providing a community service to develop young men and women. It should take that responsibility seriously and establish what it means to be a tough, hard but fair player or spectator.

[unconfuseme]

I don't think it was that bad other than this isolated incident, if you compare it to other codes.

Even this incident would probably pass without mention at a park rugby league or soccer match.

[Norris Lurker]

Any mention anywhere of EC playing 3 1/2 minutes of the final quarter with 19 on the field? ... a few people mentioned it at the time.

I didn't notice. If the St George captain had, then we'd really have had a momentous Grand Final.
I've seen scores wiped in a player count. But if a premiership had been decided that way, the @@@@ would have really hit the fan.....

[Mug Punter]

I agree. This season has been very disappointing in respect to the amount of bad behaviour I have witnessed on the field and off the field in a number of grades. Constant umpiring abuse, player abuse, fighting, cheap shots etc. No point naming names or clubs etc. However most rational youth don't want to be a part of this culture, and choose to go do something else. The games should be alcohol free, but where would the clubs make their money.

In my view the leadership of the clubs have the power to dictate the sort of behaviour they will tolerate from spectators, players and officials. However often the leadership are the worst offenders. It is not up to the AFL to manage the clubs.

At the end of the day a footy club is providing a community service to develop young men and women. It should take that responsibility seriously and establish what it means to be a tough, hard but fair player or spectator.

+1

I was at the Under 19s and it was a decent game but I felt it was played in a petty spirit. Just kids apeing what they see on TV and trying to be the big tough guys and mainly I must say from the North Shore kids who looked like a well manicured bunch of tossers. the constant sniping and melees where nobody had the guts to actually throw a punch, the dickheads the other side of the field sledging the players, the constant baiting of players like patting your opponent on the head when they missed a goal etc etc.

I know it was a grand final but it just had a bad look and ffs these were 16 or 17 year olds on the whole. Maybe I am old fashioned but I saw nothing tough about that behaviour and I think the game should be played in the right spirit.

I must admit I looked at the Code of Conduct at the front of the programme and I thought "What a joke" and clearly the behaviour got worse as the day went on.

To be honest I think this is an area where the NSWAFL needs to provide real leadership and history tells us that they are lacking in this area. There would be a immediate financial impact on the clubs but being a leader involves making tough decisions. Saying we are not as bad a rugby league where they now have paid security at junior games in some leagues is a pretty weak defence. I think that there are some public health initiatives where clubs and sporting bodies can get funding in return for promoting am alcohol free environment but I doubt if this would be taken seriously by the clubs and the NSWAFL but it should be.

[Pmcc2911]

+1

I was at the Under 19s and it was a decent game but I felt it was played in a petty spirit. Just kids apeing what they see on TV and trying to be the big tough guys and mainly I must say from the North Shore kids who looked like a well manicured bunch of tossers. the constant sniping and melees where nobody had the guts to actually throw a punch, the dickheads the other side of the field sledging the players, the constant baiting of players like patting your opponent on the head when they missed a goal etc etc.

I know it was a grand final but it just had a bad look and ffs these were 16 or 17 year olds on the whole. Maybe I am old fashioned but I saw nothing tough about that behaviour and I think the game should be played in the right spirit.

I must admit I looked at the Code of Conduct at the front of the programme and I thought "What a joke" and clearly the behaviour got worse as the day went on.

To be honest I think this is an area where the NSWAFL needs to provide real leadership and history tells us that they are lacking in this area. There would be a immediate financial impact on the clubs but being a leader involves making tough decisions. Saying we are not as bad a rugby league where they now have paid security at junior games in some leagues is a pretty weak defence. I think that there are some public health initiatives where clubs and sporting bodies can get funding in return for promoting am alcohol free environment but I doubt if this would be taken seriously by the clubs and the NSWAFL but it should be.

As they say in the classics it take two to tango. There was a bit of push and shove but it was minor in the scheme of things.
It was a tough contested game and close all day until the Bombers pushed ahead in the last quarter.

[Mug Punter]

As they say in the classics it take two to tango. There was a bit of push and shove but it was minor in the scheme of things.
It was a tough contested game and close all day until the Bombers pushed ahead in the last quarter.

I know I'm being a bit petty and overall it was a good advertisement of the junior game but the baiting and poor sportsmanship was not a great look in my book. Again maybe I'm being na?ve but I still see Under 19s as essentially junior sport. Nothing to do with hardness and toughness, just kind of pathetic the hollow posturing. I know we've all become terribly PC but I'd just prefer the kids focus on being hard at the footy rather than the play acting which actually all looked pretty pathetic.

I know it is a different level but take a look at the AFL on Saturday night if you want toughness and the game was also played in a great spirit

[saviour01]

I coach an u17s rugby legue side and the amount of stupid pushing and shoving is a joke. You try to coach it out of them but its the age group. From about u13s you start seeing it now. U19s is far from junior sport imo.

[Coastal Boy]

The Laws of AFL clearly say that no player can be tackled, pushed, shepherded, etc more than 5m from the ball.
Yet umpires at an AFL level allow grabbing of jumpers and pushing etc in a forward line when waiting for a centre bounce to occur.
Try making sense of it. I've asked the umpires at a local level why this is permitted. No great response that I'm content with.
So no wonder our kids do it.

[unconfuseme]

I recall an u/18 Div 2 Grand Final mismatch of a few years ago, where the clear instructions to the underdog Southern Power kids was to put on the biff as soon as the game started to slip away. As soon as that happened, they were slaughtered by the SU side that should never have been allowed to play in that grade. Children do not play against the instructions of the coach, if the coach instills any respect from them.